


Secrets

by peachypingu



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, mainpairingismimo, satzuisonlyaside
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-09-27 16:55:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10034999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachypingu/pseuds/peachypingu
Summary: Everyone has secrets.Even if it might seem trivial to anyone else,these secrets have a huge impact on their lives and might possibly be hurting them.But things often change as you meet more people and experience more things,and sometimes meeting the right person will make things better.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You may have seen this already completed on AFF. Just wanted to upload it here, to prevent re-uploads. (will do it on Wattpad too).
> 
> Either way, please enjoy.

"Momo ya, you're hereeeee!" A girl exclaimed loudly, successfully attracting everyone's attention as she ran straight into the arms of the said girl. 

"Sana," Momo replied, joy evident in her voice. A wide smile was plastered on her face too. She whispered, "I know you love me, but can you be a little less embarrassing? Look, everyone's staring at us already."

It was then that Sana realised what Momo said was true. Pulling away from the hug, she held tight onto Momo's hands and walked away. "Sorry, let's head to somewhere with less people!"

Momo shook her head. Even after not seeing the girl for a few years, she was still the same.

 

***

 

"Momo ya, it has been a long time.." Sana couldn't stop smiling, she was just so glad to see the other girl again.

"And you're still as noisy as ever.." Momo joked, cracking up at Sana's response - pouting and hitting her. "Yah, don't do that, you look really ugly doing that."

"Ah Momo-chan, you're so mean!" Sana turned away, which made the other girl laugh. She decided not to tease her anymore.

"Okay okay, I didn't mean it. I missed you too Sana ya.." Momo shifted closer, planting a kiss on her forehead in an attempt to sooth the girl's feelings. 

"Momo-chan...." Sana wrapped her hands around the other's waist. 

 

*** 

 

School started, and as Momo entered her classroom, she couldn't be more glad to have Sana in the same school as her. If not for Sana, it would probably be the end of class by the time she arrives at the classroom.

However, as much as Sana could take her to her classroom, facing a whole class on her own was another problem. As she entered, the class fell into absolute silence as everyone turned their heads to face her.

"Ah, you must be the new transfer student from Japan.." Momo looked towards the source of the voice, seeing a teacher scanning through a pile of papers.

"Hirai Momo."

"Ah yes, Hirai Momo. Class, take good care of her as she is a new student okay? Momo, you can sit at the empty seat over there."

 

***

 

"Erm.. Momo-ssi.." Momo felt someone poking her, waking up immediately at the unfamiliar voice.

"Yes?"

"Class is over.."

Momo shot up upon hearing that sentence, face red with embarrassment. "Ah.. okay.. thanks.." 

She quickly walked out of the classroom, taking her phone out to contact Sana.

 

***

 

"It's your first day and you already fell into deep sleep? Momo-ya, you don't want your grades to be failing like in Japan, do you?"

It was only when Momo's face darkened that Sana realised she had said the wrong thing. Reaching out to grab the other girl's hand, she continued, "Sorry.. I said the wrong thing again. But really, Momo ah, he wouldn't want you to be like that, right?"

Momo stayed silent. Though she knew the girl hated hearing it, she knew she had to say it. "Look, Momo ah. Imagine if he sees you like that, do you think he'd be happy? He-"

"Stop it, Sana ya." Momo stood up and looked away. "I'll come back later." 

Sana sighed. Just as the girl walked away, another one came from behind, putting her hands over Sana's shoulders and kissing her cheek. "Who's that, baby?"

"My cousin, Momo.. She transferred to this school today," Sana replied, turning around to look at girlfriend. "Sorry could you wait here for a while? I'll talk to her and come back with her soon, then I'll formally introduce you guys to each other, okay?"

With Tzuyu's nod of approval, Sana ran towards the direction Momo left from. Though the latter walked away as if she wanted to be alone, Sana knew better - she was fully aware that a fragile Momo really,  _really_  needs someone by her side.

"Hey.." It did not take her too long to find the girl who left, sitting on the kerb, looking down with her forehead placed on her arms. As expected by Sana, the girl was shaking and sobbing sounds could be heard. The slightly younger girl sat next to her, putting her hand over the girl's shoulder. "Hey I'm sorry.. You know I didn't mean to make you upset, especially not today when I finally saw you after a long time.. But you know what I'm trying to say right? It's been years, Momo, and you have to move on. After all, Auntie sent you here hoping that you can leave the painful memories behind and restart here."

She did not receive any verbal nor physical reply, but she knew that the crying girl was listening. She wrapped her other hand around Momo and pulled her tighter into her embrace.

 

 

_FLASHBACK_

_"Mummy, Momo is home! With Sana!" The cute little voice of a seven-year-old rang through the entire house although the two girls were barely at the gate. Upon hearing the voice, Mrs Hirai ran out of the house, squatting down and opening her arms for the little kid to run into. Little Momo excitedly ran into her mother's arms, proudly exclaiming, "Mummy, we got back our results again today and I topped the class again!"_

_Mrs Hirai ruffled Momo's hair. "Is that true, my dear? Mummy's so proud of you."_

_Little Momo beamed. "Sana topped her class too!" She ran out of Mrs Hirai's embrace, only to grab Sana's hands and enter the house. Mrs Hirai could not help but smile at the two kids. Momo was her only child, so she was really glad Sana was around._

_"Grandpa!! Both Sana and I topped our classes!"_

 

_***_

 

_Back in Japan when the two girls were still little kids, they spent a lot of time together. They lived nearby, though not together, and more often than not Sana would head over to Momo's after school, before her parents went to fetch her home during evening._

_They were childhood friends, cousins, bestfriends. Even though Momo was touchy in general, if there's one person she'd never let go, it's Sana. The two grew up together, and after that one time which Momo got rid of some other kids who were bullying and teasing Sana, she vowed to protect Sana for life. Despite being the same age, Momo was a little older, and that made her want to behave like an older sister for Sana, especially since she had no real sister and Sana really felt like a sister to her._

 

 

Sana sighed as she reminisced the past. Now, Momo still had the existence as an older sister for her, but she no longer saw the same Momo.

The Momo she knew was intelligent, diligent and determined. The Momo she knew excelled in whatever she did. The Momo she knew was happy. Genuinely happy.

 


	2. Chapter 2

"Girlfriend?! How long has it been? Does she treat you well? Does Auntie know about it?" Shock was evident on Momo's face as she rattled continuously.

The three girls were now in a cafe, with Tzuyu ordering the drinks for them. They had decided it would be great to interact a little - for Sana and Momo to catch up and for Tzuyu and Momo to know each other better. After all, Tzuyu and Sana spent their afternoons together, and Momo was heading to Sana's for dinner that day anyway.

"Shhh don't be so loud. It's been almost a year, Momo. She treats me like a princess and we really love each other. I've already let Mum know as well."

"My baby sister has grown up, huh..." Momo can't help but grin at Sana's words.  _'We really love each other.'_

"You shouldn't be losing to me, you should find someone soon!"

Momo just smiled. Yes, she was touchy with people. Yes, she can talk quite a bit even with newly-met acquaintances. But she does not. Momo hated interaction with people, and much less open up to them. It had always been like that. Sana was the only one who knew Momo's feelings and thoughts, her weak and fragile side, and that is because she knew Momo so well she read her like a book.

"So what did I miss?" Tzuyu asked as she settled down next to her girlfriend.

"Tzuyu. I'm telling you this once and for all. If you ever dare to hurt my baby Sana, even if it's just one tear, I will hunt you down and make sure you regret it." Momo can't help but feel protective. She would not let anyone hurt Sana.

"I definitely won't, rest assured." Tzuyu leaned closer and gave Sana a peck on her cheek, to which the latter blushed slightly. She was used to it, but not used to Tzuyu doing that while someone was right in front of them. 

"Yah, Momo's here." Momo could only laugh at her cousin's embarrassed face. She was glad, Sana was in good hands.

 

 

"Mum! We're back for dinner!" Sana exclaimed as she held the door open for Momo. 

"Welcome home, my dear!" A figure headed out from the kitchen, Momo immediately recognising her as her aunt.

"Hello, Auntie, it's been a long time." Momo said, bowing.

"No need for such formalities, darling. Ah you've gotten so much prettier. Come, let's have dinner." Momo smiled at the familiarity. Her Korean standard was not bad, but it definitely feels a lot more comfortable speaking Japanese. 

 

 

"Thank you for the dinner! It's getting late, I think I should get going." 

"Momo ya, you sure you don't want to just shift in with us? It's always better to have someone to look out for you." Mrs Minatozaki offered, sincerely wanting Momo to live with them. Sana nodded her head too.

However, Momo rejected, explaining that she wants to be independent. She promised to head over as often as possible, joking that she would come over so often they would get sick of her. The Minatozaki family laughed at her response.

Sana walked Momo out. "Reach home safely, Momo-chan~ Text me when you reach home! Bye~"

They shared another hug, feeling regretful that the day ended so quickly. But on the bright side, at least they had many more days to spend together from now on. Honestly, it did not matter how often they met or how close they were in distance, they were highly reliant on each other and shared an unbreakable bond. 

Momo was about to walk away when she heard Sana call her back. "Ah.. and.. sorry for today, Momo. I'll be more careful with my words from now on."

 

 

***

 

 

_Beep. Beep. Beep. The intervals between each sound became longer and longer. And the next moment, all that was heard was a long sound and cries._

"No.. no.. Grandpa... Don't leave me please.. NO!!" Momo sat up abruptly as her eyes shot open. It was usual. Since that fateful day, she has been waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat and tears. She would have the same nightmare everyday, or if she was lucky, every alternate day.

She laid back down, tears flowing down her cheeks as she hugged her favourite plushie tight. She had many plushies, many people gave it to her knowing she liked them. However, there was that one plushie that she held very dear to her. It was the one her grandfather had given to her. It was also the last gift he ever gave to her.

 

 

_FLASHBACK_

_"Grandpa!!" A short toddler was seen running to an old man, who could not stop smiling at the kid._

_"Yes, my little princess?"_

_"We have been practicing for a performance, and today the teacher said I was really good. Want me to show you, grandpa?"_

_Momo started showing her moves. It was not of a high standard, but definitely great for a young child like her._

_"Grandpa grandpa, will you be coming to see my performance? You will, right?"_

 

 

_***_

 

 

_"Grandpa! What happened to you?" Mrs Hirai fetched Momo from school, and instead of heading home they went to the hospital. Momo's grandfather was admitted to the hospital just the day before. Mr and Mrs Hirai wanted to bring Momo over during the weekends, but the little child insisted on going that day._

_"Momo ah, grandpa is fine. Don't worry," he said as he ruffled his only granddaughter's hair._

 

 

_***_

 

 

_Momo was seated next to the bed, the position that had come to become her usual position. It had been a month since her grandfather was hospitalised._

_"Grandpa, you said you were fine, but why wouldn't they let you go home? Why are they so bad? I will ask Papa to scold them." Innocent Momo said. Actually, Momo's grandfather was down with a terminal illness, and by doctor's recommendation it was best for him to stay in the hospital. No one told Momo, however, because they knew exactly how much it would hurt the young girl._

 

 

_***_

 

 

_Momo watched as her grandfather looked weaker and weaker every day. At some point of time, he could barely respond to her anymore. It was then that the young kid realised, something was really wrong with her grandfather._

_"Mama, tell me, why is Grandpa looking so weak?"_

_"Momo ah..."_

_"Tell me, tell me."_

_Mrs Hirai knew she could not lie to her daughter anymore. "Actually..."_

 

 

That happened when she was eleven, but even up till now Momo remembers how it was like - the flat high pitch sound signalling his death, the doctors announcing his death. And she also remembers his last words, specially directed to her. ' _Momo ah,.... Grandpa.. loves... you.."_

 

 

_Momo locked herself in the room for the entire day subsequently. Mr and Mrs Hirai had tried all ways. They would knock on her door from time to time, speaking to her, but she never gave a reply. After the first day, they unlocked the door with the spare key they had, but as they went in Momo started throwing a tantrum, throwing everything and shouting at them to get out. From outside, they could always hear sobs coming from inside. It really broke their heart to see her like that, and it made them feel even worse knowing that they were not able to do anything at all._

_Two days after Momo did not go to school, Sana started getting worried, bugging Mrs Minatozaki constantly. The latter relented and brought her daughter to the Hirai's._

_So in front of the closed door stood Sana, knocking on the door once again. Sana had pestered her parents to allow her to skip school for Momo, and there was no way they could say no. Sana would come over in the morning, only to leave late at night._

_It was already the morning of the fourth day Momo was behaving like that, and it got everyone really worried especially since she had not been eating anything at all._ _"Momo-chan... Don't be like that, let me in please. Don't suffer alone, I'm really worried about you. Everyone is.."_

_Momo did not open the door that morning, but it came as a pleasant surprise when the door was unlocked and opened slightly about two hours later. The depressed girl did not walk out, but it was a sign for her best friend to go in._

_"Momo-ya!" Sana wasted no time in entering, running straight to the girl that was sitting down, leaning against the wall. The girl's eyes were puffy, with obvious tear stains trailing down her cheeks. In short, she looked like a wreck, but Sana could not care less as she pulled the girl into a tight, firm, assuring hug._


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, you're the new girl right?" Momo just nodded, giving a slight smile. She was not quite a morning person, especially on the mornings after she had her nightmares. It was already the fifth person greeting her, trying to make friends with her, and to be honest she was not too interested.

"Momo-chan!" A really loud and sharp voice was heard, and without looking Momo knew who it was. She was extremely embarrassed because once again her favourite cousin had successfully attracted the attention of many people again. However, this time she was more than thankful. At least she would not have to entertain people again.

"Sorry, I gotta go." She stood up and ran to Sana, both of them greeting each other with a hug.

"Oh gosh you're finally here! I thought I could die trying to handle those people," Momo whined. "Why do you come school so late?"

Honestly, Sana was not one who could wake up easily. Even if she opened her eyes and had a decent conversation, she can just go back to sleeping the next moment.

"Seems like you're still as famous as ever huh, it's only been one day. Anyway, why do you come school so early?" Momo was a very high profile person back in Japan. Partially for her looks, and partially because she messed around with the school a little more than regular students should and would.

 

 

"So I heard you slept through the entire day again," Sana commented. She really wanted to help Momo go back to the person she was.

"I was tired," Momo replied, giving a shrug. "And the teacher was really boring, you have no idea." On her part, she really did not care. She had been a misguided youth since that day, doing all the things she should not do and getting into trouble. Her relationship with her parents worsened because of that, but that being said, they certainly still did wish the best for her. They sent her to Korea thinking that a new environment would be beneficial for her. Momo was not for it, but she was quite enticed by being able to stay alone, and she agreed also because Sana was there. For a plus point, her parents offered to pay for her apartment and get a dance studio for her.

"Momo ah, can you try to stay awake for at least one lesson? Starting tomorrow. Please? Do it for me, if not for yourself?" Momo knew Sana meant well, so she nodded her head, hoping that it would not be that hard as long as she tried.

"So anyway..."

"Who's that girl?" Momo interrupted Sana after noticing a girl sitting just a few tables away. She was alone, but what really attracted Momo was her beauty.

Sana followed the girl's eyes, knowing who it was immediately. "Oh that's Mina. Top of the batch. She's known for being cold to everyone, and she doesn't really have any friends. Doesn't look like she minds though, since she's always studying."

"Ah.. Hardworking student.."

Sana did not think much of Momo's question, until she realised that the girl was barely even listening to her anymore. "Hey, earth to Momo? I know she's pretty, but I'd suggest you not to go near her. She'll probably reject you, and I'll warn you first, people love to disturb her."

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

Days passed and Momo was increasingly getting used to the new environment. She constantly made attempt to stay awake for one lesson each day, not wanting to disappoint Sana. And she found out, it was really really hard to not sleep.

Momo was alone. Sana was not free that day, plus she did not want to always impose on her. She decided to roam about school and explore it.

She was walking along the classroom corridors when she saw the beauty that attracted her that day. A slight smile appeared on her face, only to disappear instantly when she saw that there were people in the classroom the girl was going to enter to, preparing a bucket of water on top of the door. Momo scoffed at the old pranks the students were playing; she knew all of these pranks too well.

Momo had to do something, but Mina was already about to enter so before she thought about it her mouth acted first. "Hey! Mina ah!"

The girl turned, expression unchanged. "Yes? You are?" The tone was cold, which made Momo even more flustered than she already was. Well, she panicked because she was so sucked in by the girl's gorgeousness.

"Erm.. Err.. I..." As Momo was desperately thinking of an excuse, someone walked in to the classroom, the bucket of water splashing entirely over her. Gasps could be heard, and Momo took the chance to just end the conversation, knowing her job was done. "Erm nothing! Have a good day! Bye!"

Momo ran away. While she felt happy that Mina was safe, she felt like it was the most embarrassing day of her life.

Mina looked at the girl strangely, frowning at the encounter. That girl is weird.


	4. Chapter 4

Mina was heading somewhere when she walked past the dance studio. Normally she would just walk past, but something, or rather, someone, caught her eye this time. On a closer look, it was the girl who had randomly called her a few times, only to run away after stammering.

Yes, Momo had happened to come across Mina a couple more times and noticed people playing pranks again. She finally knew what Sana was talking about, though she could not understand why. Another thing she wondered was, just how many times have Mina successfully gotten pranked? The pranks did not seem like something nice to experience, she felt extremely bad to those who had it happening to them just because she was saving Mina.

The many times Momo did it, Mina had been utterly annoyed, she thought that the girl loved wasting her time. However, despite Mina's high tendency to get frustrated, she had never once snapped at Momo. She was someone who does so rather easily, but for some reason there was just something that made her not want to do that to Momo. 

But now, the girl dancing inside had a totally different aura. Her gaze as she danced, to Mina at least, was captivating. She was entranced by the way Momo danced, the way her body moved to the music as if it was second nature.

Momo felt like someone was watching her, so she turned and was surprised to see the girl that she had embarrassed herself in front of many times. Upon eye contact, the girl looked away, and Momo swore she saw a tint of red on the girl's cheeks before she walked away.

Momo shrugged, continuing with her practice. She learnt the moves later than the rest, and she wanted to get them right before the club practice started.

 

 

***

 

 

Sana was on the way home after a date with Tzuyu when she received a message from her cousin. "Hey, are you free to come over now?"

It felt weird receiving such a message from Momo. A sudden pang of guilt also hit Sana as she realised that she had not been hanging out with Momo as much these days. Without hesitation, she made her way over.

Sana entered the password (Momo told her previously) and saw a figure sitting at the balcony. She walked closer, only to realise that Momo was holding a cigarette.

"When did you start doing this?" Sana never knew, and as much as she did not like it, she knew that Momo must have had her reasons for doing so.

"Some time back," Momo replied, huffing the smoke out, to which Sana frowned upon. The latter took a seat on the empty chair anyway. "Why?"

"It's fun, and nice." Sana could see a small smile on Momo's face as she replied, but she knew it was in no aspect genuine.

"It's unhealthy." Momo, however, did not reply, leaving the atmosphere to a rather still and silent one.

"You didn't call me here to watch you smoke," Sana commented after a while of silence. She decided Momo needed some prompting. She watched as Momo gave a last puff and put out the cigarette.

"Anniversary," Momo said so softly, Sana would not have been able to hear if the surroundings were any noisier. The slightly younger of the two was confused. She was unable to put a finger to it, she was sure it was not about Momo's grandfather, and she was almost positive Momo was not dating. Even if she was, why would she be crying on such a day?  "Dahyunnie."

Sana did not reply, she was not too sure how to. Thankfully, the other girl continued. "I met her a couple of months after you left Japan. She was a bubbly, cute and energetic girl. She made me happy, I fell for her, and we got together."

Sana was surprised. It was a story she had not heard before. 

"We were intending to go out that day, but she never turned up." Momo had been looking at the sky, her gaze was far, but at this moment she looked down. "She was involved in a car accident."

She closed her eyes as she muttered, "She died."

"You didn't tell me," Sana mumbled. It was not the most appropriate reply she could have given, but she could not help but feel upset that her best friend kept something so important from her. 

"You weren't in Japan."

"We messaged often. You know I would've flown there for you."

That was exactly why Momo did not tell her, she did not want her to worry. But she felt bad, knowing that she made the other girl upset. "I'm sorry."

Sana stood up from her seat and went over to Momo's, putting her hand over the girl's shoulder. It was painful to see the girl crying again, and she felt bad that the girl had to experience so much. She did not deserve all these.

"I think I'm unlucky." Momo did not stop despite the fact that she was already sobbing. "I must be. Grandpa and Dahyun. I'm the reason why they died."

"It wasn't your fault. It's all beyond your control, Momo ah."

"It is. I gave them bad luck. They died because they were close to me. Go now, Sana, before something bad happens to you too." Momo pushed Sana, but she was too weak from crying, Sana did not even move.

"Don't say that. Don't think like that. It's all part of nature, it... it's fated to be that way. I'm sorry you had to experience all these." Sana was teary. Why was the world so unfair to Momo?

"Sana," Momo hugged the girl, a word encompassing all the emotions she felt and the need for comfort in her.

That night, Sana did not go back home. Momo was cradled in her arms all night, and at some point, she remembered crying with the girl. It hurt her too much to see the other so broken.

And the whole while, Momo could not have been more thankful to have Sana as a cousin. She also felt like she made the right choice to leave Japan. At least now, she had someone to share her sorrows with.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey Tzuyu, why isn't Sana with you?" Mina was hungry from studying, and happened to overhear this conversation while on the way to grab some food.

"Sana? Oh, she didn't come to school today, she's taking care of Momo." Mina watched as Tzuyu replied, the smile on her face was one that would make anyone else smile. Sometimes Mina wished she could be like that, but she had shut herself out and pushed people away so much that there was no turning back. She was known as a cold girl, and she was going to live up to it. 

She furrowed her eyebrows after hearing Tzuyu's reply. They were not even related in any way, not even the slightest bit of friendship was present between them, but it made Mina uncomfortable at the thought that Momo was not in school and needed to be 'taken care of'. Was she sick?

 

 

***

 

 

"You're awake," Sana commented as she heard the door open. "I made breakfast, let's have it together. Go sit down first, I'll be ready in a minute."

"Here." Sana placed Momo's food down together with the utensils, heading back to get that of her own. As she returned to the table, she found Momo poking aimlessly at her food.

"Hey, still feeling very down?" Sana pat Momo on the back, rubbing her back in circles.

Momo looked up, and Sana, though she expected it, was a little shocked at how puffy the girl's eyes were. "No, I'm feeling better," Momo smiled, and this time Sana knew it was not entirely forced. "My eyes just hurt a lot. And I can't really see you."

Momo's comment made both of them chuckle. Sana was glad. At least Momo was not feeling as terrible anymore.

They were both eating in silence until Momo broke the silence, making Sana divert her vision to the other girl. "Thank you, Sana-ya. I wouldn't have known what to do if not for you."

 

 

***

 

 

"This time round, we have the top of the cohort in our class again." The teacher announced, not that it was a surprise to any. They did not have to guess, it was definitely Mina again. 

On the other hand, Mina, looking at her grades, knew she was in trouble. She did worse than previously, which, for her parents' eyes, were unacceptable.

When school ended, Mina went to the rooftop instead of the library. It was her secret hideout, where she went to whenever she was anything but happy. This time round, it was because of two reasons. One, she, as much as she did not want to admit it, was worried about the girl who did not come to school today. Second, she did not want to head home. She was scared, she knew exactly how her parents would react.

 

 

 

Mina nervously sat down at the dining table.  She literally had to drag herself all the way back home, she hated whenever this happened. 

"Jihyo's parents told me you got back your test today, how did you do?" Mrs Myoui asked, making Mina shift nervously in her seat. 

She did not dare to look into her parents' eyes. "I.. I did not do as well as the last test."

That was how Mina found herself bent over as she was caned, her crying and yelping with each stroke. Mr and Mrs Myoui were very strict parents - pretty much the only reason why Mina studied so hard. She needed to study hard, and she was also afraid at times that people might just find out about her getting caned if she spent too much time with them. That is why Mina never made friends with anyone. She was afraid. Terribly afraid.

The next morning in school, Mina had difficulties sitting down without feeling extreme pain. It was like that each time it happened. She sighed, making her way to the rooftop again instead of going to class.

 

 

***

 

 

Momo went to school the next day, because she knew Sana would skip school to stay with her again if she did not. However, she was still in no mood to head to class, though she does not listen to class anyway. She decided to go to the rooftop.

Every year, Momo would feel and behave like a wreck for two certain periods of time. The first time being Dahyun's death anniversary, and the second being her grandfather's. Back in Japan she would spend the days messing around and getting into all sorts of trouble. Now, she just wanted to be alone.

Arriving at the rooftop, Momo was surprised to see someone else there, someone whom she could recognise even from the back view. She was sitting on one of the few benches that have been left on the rooftop. Momo found herself instinctively walking towards the girl.

"Top student skipping class, how interesting," Momo commented as she sat down next to Mina, leaving a gap between them. She was not too sure if the other girl wanted her to be too close. She frowned when the girl did not even look over, much less give a reply. "Hey, skipping class isn't good, you know?"

"Says you." Mina's tone was as cold as ever, but Momo was happy to even get a reply.

"So, what made the top student who has undying love for studying skip class and come to this place?" Yes, Momo wanted to be alone, but she did not mind having someone's company either, especially when it's this certain someone.

"My results worsened this time round." Mina was actually surprised at how willing she was to share her thoughts. There was just something in Momo that made her feel comfortable saying it. But she felt regret hearing Momo's reply.

"You get so upset over results? Really? You're definitely deserving of the title 'top student'."

Regret. Anger. Frustration. Those were all of Mina's feelings at that moment. She knew it. No one would ever understand that having worse results did not simply mean lower grades for her.

Truth be told, Mina never liked studying. It was not as if she studied harder for her parents, but rather she was studying simply for her parents. There were so many things she was interested in, so many things she wanted to try out, but since young all she had was tuition, tuition, and more tuition. She hated it. She hated her life. Many times she cried herself to sleep over it, but she never found the courage to tell her parents that. Afterall, she knew her parents would not change anything anyway.

No one knew. No one bothered to know. And here she thought, maybe Momo would be the first one, maybe Momo could be the first one she would trust. Then she realised, the slight faith she had in Momo was unfounded, anyway.

"You don't understand. But it's okay, you don't have to. Since I'm not having any peace here anyway, I'll go back to class first." Momo felt extremely apologetic as she watched the girl's back go further and further away from her. She made the girl cry. She really did not mean to.

 

 

Momo went to find Mina after class that day, she had been feeling very bad the entire day. She was standing not too far away when she saw a group of girls facing Mina as one of them pushed her. Mina fell on her bottom and winced in pain.

"Wow girls, I only touched her gently and she fell so badly! Oh look at her expression, it looks so painful. But I only touched her! Such a weak girl." The girl who pushed her, whom Momo presumed to be the leader of the gang, spat at Mina before turning and walking away. Momo ran to the girl on the floor, who was still grimacing. "Mina, are you alright?" She offered her hand to pull Mina up.

The girl, however, smacked her hand away. "Go away, I can get up on my own."

Momo stood around, watching as the other girl struggled to stand up. Her hands were placed awkwardly in the air, prepared to catch Mina if she fell.

Mina was trying really hard, determined to show the watching girl that she could do it on her own. However, her bottom really hurt a lot, which caused her legs to be weak. Just as she was about to get up, her legs failed her. She closed her eyes, preparing herself for the pain that would shoot past her body when she landed on the floor again.

But it never came. Momo was totally prepared to pick her up, and she did. After helping the girl to stand properly, Momo found her hands getting smacked away once again. Before she could react, the other girl was already walking away, though she was obviously still having some difficulties moving properly.

"Hey!" Momo shouted. "I'm sorry."

Mina never turned back. She was crying again, and she did not want Momo to see her like that again.


	6. Chapter 6

When Mina was arriving at her classroom the next day she was surprised to see someone waiting for her at the corridor. She was happy - she hated to admit it but she liked the presence of Momo - but what happened yesterday came to her mind. She decided to walk past the girl. From her peripheral vision she saw Momo slight movement, her arms reaching out towards her but never really touching. Momo's mouth also opened as well, as if she was about to say something.

And yes, Momo did intend to approach Mina, but by now she was scared by Mina's attitude towards her. They had just gotten a bit closer, or so she thought after Mina replied her, but she felt like she broke the trust. She did not understand why or how she did it, but she knew one thing - she had probably hurt the girl badly. Watching Mina enter the classroom, Momo sighed as she walked away. 

Mina on the other hand was met with yet another surprise as she found something on her table. It was a small snack, together with a card. It was obvious that the card was personally decorated, and evident that the person who did it was not exactly artistically inclined. She sat down and opened the card.

_Hey Mina. I hope you're okay from yesterday's fall, it looked pretty bad :/ I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. Honestly speaking I do not know which part of my statement made you so upset, but it's the truth I hurt you so I'm really sorry about it. If you forgive me and let me know what's wrong, I promise I won't make the same mistake again. Please forgive me.. ㅠㅠ_

_P.S Sorry for the badly designed card, I can't do art._

_-Momo_

Mina smiled towards the end, as she saw Momo's signature above her name. It was in Japanese and there was a cute peach drawn.  She felt slightly bad, technically speaking Momo did nothing wrong. She was the one with problems, she was the one with insecurity, she was the one who got angry for nothing. It was an innocent mistake on Momo's part. She folded the card and placed it neatly in her file.

 

 

***

 

 

"So you just spend your time following her around all day now?" Sana questioned, annoyance evident in her tone. She had told Momo clearly not to get close to Mina, and her cousin had obviously turned a deaf ear to her advice.

"Correction, not all day. Just after school, when I'm free." Momo clicked her tongue, not understanding Sana's intentions. "I don't get why you're so against it. Aren't you overreacting a little too much?"

"Overreacting?" Sana was truly frustrated. She turned to the girl next to her. "Tzuyu, she just said I was overreacting!"

Tzuyu sighed, she knew she had to speak up. "Momo, I hope you understand that Sana just wants the best for you. We know her for so long, for you even so much longer, and I'm sure you're aware that Sana wouldn't react like that for nothing. Mina really isn't someone you'd want to be with, the other people might just target you as well!"

Momo stood up, unable to control her anger anymore. "Being targeted at wasn't her choice! Do you think she wanted it? Do you think she voluntarily signed herself up for it? No! If she can't stand up for herself, shouldn't we help her?"

"It's complicated, Momo."

"You guys are making it complicated! It's as simple as it is - she's not being treated in a nice manner and she's facing all these alone!" Momo stomped off after completing her sentence. She could not understand why everyone could stand watching so many things happen to Mina and not help her.

"They might target you too, Momo!" Honestly, Momo did not care. Afterall, she was the master of pranks and fights. If they wanted to, two can play the game. 

 

 

*** 

 

 

Mina sighed when she left the library and felt someone following her again. Since that day, Momo had never tried to approach her ever again, but she knew the girl was always near her, until the moment she left school.

The only few times they interacted was when Momo called her and ended up stuttering again. Mina could never understand why. All she knew was that she was increasingly finding Momo's weirdness cute. And she also realised that whenever Momo did that, something seemed to happen to someone else.

Then it hit Mina - the reason why she was receiving less pranks recently. Momo had been saving her all these while. There was even that one time that Momo ran past her and went straight into the prank itself - her getting all wet and dirtied.

Mina was knocked out of her thoughts when she bumped into someone. It was the gang who pushed her previously again. She gave a quick bow, apologising. Then she realised she did not accidentally knock into them, they were out to look for her, and probably bully her again.

Once again Mina was pushed, and she mentally prepared herself for the impact. Her wounds were getting better, but it still hurt. She was sure falling so hard was bound to worsen it again.

But she did not fall hard. This time round, Momo was fast enough to break the fall for her. She fell on Momo instead.

"What are you doing?" The head of the gang shouted upon seeing Momo's actions.

Mina quickly got off Momo, worry evident on her face. "Oh gosh Momo! Are you okay?" She offered her hand to the girl on the ground.

Momo could not help but smile a little at the concern Mina was giving her. She took her hand, using it to get up. "I'm fine." 

She then turned to the group of girls. She was not going to hold it in anymore. "I'm protecting her."

Momo grabbed Mina's hand and walked past the girls. As she walked past the leader, she whispered, "Don't you dare touch her again. Trust me, you don't want to mess with me."

As they walked further, a scream of frustration was heard. Momo smirked victoriously, she had succeeded.


End file.
